The present invention relates to telephonic communications, and more particularly to pay phones that provide for computer network access.
Over the past 100 years, the public telecommunications industry, which has produced and operated what are commonly known as xe2x80x9cpayphones,xe2x80x9d has evolved into one of the most easy-to-use and widely accepted communications networks. The core device in public communications, the payphone, literally has made xe2x80x9con the goxe2x80x9d communications possible for millions of people daily. In recent years, however, unprecedented technological, competitive and regulatory changes within the telecommunications industry have created an equally unprecedented challenge for the public communications sector. A decade previously, the payphone was the only way most people on the go kept connected to home or office. Now, however, wireless phones keep everyonexe2x80x94from high school students to housewives to business travelersxe2x80x94in touch while on the go, talking on the phone while walking down the street or through a busy airport.
The Internet likewise has revolutionized communications by replacing cards and letters with e-mail, by replacing in-person shopping with e-commerce, and replacing traditional access to news, information and other services with personalized portals. As a result, consumers increasingly demand access to xe2x80x9ccontentxe2x80x9d anytime, anywhere, and not just to the voice communications conventionally provided by landlines and wireless phones. Content equals information that includes voice calls, local news, mapped directions, investment updates, e-commerce transactions, email, and connectivity with the home, office and other webbased information.
Thus the single-function payphone is being driven toward a phase-out condition, and Internet kiosks are appearing in public places for use by those not having ready access to the Internet. Such persons include those not having a personal computer and/or an account with an Internet service provider (ISP). Also, many who have such accounts may wish to access the Internet while away from their home or office and, even if they are carrying a portable computer equipped for Internet access there may not be an available direct telephone line. Internet kiosks are relatively expensive to install when the required space is taken into account. Consequently, they are often installed in spaces previously occupied by pay telephones, which tends to diminish revenue otherwise received from pay telephone service, as well as to generate public dissatisfaction with reduced pay phone availability. As a result, pay phones are now marketed that provide Internet access in addition to conventional voice communication capability. However, these new pay phones are excessively expensive.
Thus there is a need for an inexpensive way to provide public computer network access without discontinuing pay telephone service at existing locations.
The present invention meets this need by providing a network pay telephone that can be easily converted from a preexisting conventional pay telephone and includes a significant portion of the preexisting telephone, the inventive pay telephone being operable for both network and conventional voice communications. In one aspect of the invention, a network access pay telephone includes a lower housing structure having a coin scanner, and escrow unit, and a payphone electronics module mounted therein, the payphone electronics module having a line receptacle for connecting an external telephone line, a coin scanner socket for electrically connecting the coin scanner, an escrow unit socket for electrically connecting the escrow unit, and an interface cable for electrically connecting an external interface, the payphone electronics module having circuitry for managing the conventional voice communications over the external telephone line in response to the coin scanner, the escrow unit, and the interface module; a front-end interface having an interface socket for electrically connecting the interface cable of the payphone electronics module; an upper housing structure having a handset connected to the front-end interface, a hook-switch connected to the front-end interface, and a dialpad connected to the front-end interface; a network computer comprising non-volatile memory, a modem having a pass-through connection to the line receptacle of the payphone electronics module, a display, an input device, and a local interface port, the display and the input device being supported by the upper housing structure for operator access thereto; and a control module connected to the local interface port and to the front-end interface, the control module also having pass-through connections between the coin scanner and the payphone electronics module and between the escrow unit and the payphone electronics module. Since the payphone electronics module can be a preexisting relatively expensive component of a conventional pay telephone, the inventive telephone can advantageously utilize such a device from inventory stock, or from a preexisting telephone. The input device can include a pointing device, which can include a trackball. The input device preferably includes an alphanumeric keyboard that is supported by the upper housing structure for user access, either alone or as a second input device.
The network pay telephone can include a function keypad for signaling operator selections to the network computer, and/or a card reader for signaling machine-readable data to the network computer. The network computer can further include an audio output circuit, the telephone also having a speaker connected to the audio output circuit for sounding previously stored messages.
The network computer is preferably operative for providing a plurality of modes, including a stand by mode wherein the display is activated to show introductory information; a payphone mode wherein the display is activated initially to show dialing instructions upon an off-hook condition of the hook switch; and a network mode wherein the display is activated, in response to predetermined operator input other than the off-hook condition, to show further operator input options and responses thereto. The payphone mode is preferably disabled during the network mode for preventing inadvertent termination of a network operation. Preferably the stand by mode is entered upon termination of either the payphone mode or the network mode for resuming display of the introductory information.
In another aspect of the invention, a kit for converting an existing pay telephone for network access as well as for conventional voice communications, includes an upper housing structure comprising a front-end interface, a handset, a hook-switch, and a dialpad connected to the front-end interface, which has an interface socket for electrically connecting the interface cable of a payphone electronics module of the preexisting pay telephone, the electronics module being mounted in a lower housing structure having a coin scanner, and an escrow unit, and a payphone electronics module mounted therein, the payphone electronics module having a line receptacle for connecting an external telephone line, a coin scanner socket for electrically connecting the coin scanner, an escrow unit socket for electrically connecting the escrow unit; a network computer having non-volatile memory, a modem having a pass-through connection for connecting to the line receptacle of the payphone electronics module, a display, an input device, and a local interface port, the display and the input device being supported by the upper housing structure for operator access thereto; and a control module connected to the local interface port and to the front-end interface, the control module also having pass-through connections for connecting between the coin scanner and the payphone electronics module and between the escrow unit and the payphone electronics module.
In a further aspect of the invention, a method for converting the existing pay telephone for adding network access includes:
(a) providing an upper housing structure comprising a front-end interface having an interface socket, a handset connected to the front-end interface, a hook-switch connected to the front-end interface, and a dialpad connected to the front-end interface;
(b) providing a network computer comprising non-volatile memory, a modem having a modem line connection, a display, an input device, and a local interface port;
(c) mounting the display and the input device to the upper housing structure for operator access thereto;
(d) providing a control module having respective coin scanner and escrow unit pass-through connections;
(e) electrically connecting the coin scanner to the control module and to the coin scanner socket of the payphone electronics module for passing signals from the coin scanner to the network computer and to the payphone electronics module;
(f) electrically connecting the escrow unit to the control module and to the escrow unit socket of the payphone electronics module for selectively activating the escrow unit in response to the network computer and the payphone electronics module;
(g) electrically connecting the interface cable of the payphone electronics module to the interface socket of the front-end interface for signaling the payphone electronics module in response to the hook switch and the dialpad, and for bidirectionally signaling between the handset and the payphone electronics module;
(h) electrically connecting the control module to the local interface port of the network computer and to the front-end interface for signaling the network computer in response to the hook switch;
(i) connecting the modem line connection to the payphone line receptacle of the payphone electronics module; and
(j) latching the upper housing structure to the lower housing structure. The method can also include mounting the alphanumeric keyboard of the network computer to the upper housing structure for operator access thereto.